Stan, Australia’s beloved streaming platform, has already begun captivating audiences with its original series C*A*U*G*H*T.
The satirical show, which premiered on September 28, has quickly emerged as a must-watch and is garnering acclaim for its all-star cast and insightful social commentary.
Directed by esteemed Aussie actor Kick Gurry, known for his work in Edge of Tomorrow, C*A*U*G*H*T marks his directorial debut, with Gurry not only helming the show but also serving as its producer and writer.
The series boasts an impressive lineup of both local and international talent, including the Oscar-winning Susan Sarandon, Travis Fimmel from Vikings, and Tuppence Middleton of Downton Abbey fame. Joining them are renowned actors such as Sean Penn, Matthew Fox, Bryan Brown, Rebecca Breeds, Bella Heathcote, Ben O’Toole, Lincoln Younes, and Alexander England, making C*A*U*G*H*T an extraordinary showcase of acting prowess.
Set in the war-torn island nation of Behati-Prinsloo (yes, like the Victoria’s Secret model), the story follows a group of four Aussie soldiers, portrayed by Gurry, Younes, O’Toole, and England. Their mission is to retrieve a secret file inadvertently texted to a princess by the inept Australian Minister of Defence, played by Erik Thomson. However, upon their arrival, they are mistaken for American troops and captured by freedom fighters, portrayed by Mel Jarnson, Fayssal Bazzi, and Dorian Nkono.
“The most exciting part about working with these guys is that this incredible talent were all attracted to the project solely by what they were reading in the scripts,” Alexander England told Variety AU of working with the star-studded cast.
“These big names were excited by a show that was so different from anything else they’d read, so it really speaks to the power of a unique idea in the creative space, which I find very encouraging.”
England continued, “Then of course you wonder what it’s going to be like when these American stars arrive on set, whether they’re going to make waves and throw the balance right off… I remember Mathew Fox was shooting a lot of his stuff right at the top of the shoot, and that very first day he had a massive grin on his face the whole time.”
“I kept looking over at him and it honestly looked like he was having the time of his life, and I was incredibly proud of our cast and crew and the fact that the experience was bringing him so much joy!”
“I’ve found it’s very important to enjoy that time on set as that’s the part you can control, so I always make it a focus to have fun throughout the shoot. That being said, I underestimated just how fun it would be to make a comedy with really good friends. It honestly didn’t feel like work, it felt like a party – I would leave exhausted at the end of the day, partly from the work, mostly from hysterically laughing.”
Speaking of how difficult it is to remain composed around some of comedy’s biggest names, England explained, “In the industry, we call breaking character and laughing ‘corpsing’ I’m not sure where the term comes from, maybe because the worst time it could happen to you would be if you were playing a recently deceased character… Anyway, I have always been quite proud of not corpsing during work as it can be quite unprofessional if it means the cast and crew have to reset the scene and start again.”
“On this job, however, there were two scenes in particular that I just could not get through without laughing. Resisting the urge to laugh was excruciating!”
He added, “It actually got to the point where I ended up doing one of the scenes with my eyes closed when I wasn’t on camera, just so I wouldn’t ruin the other person’s coverage with a strangled shriek.”
As the Australian soldiers are forced to create a viral hostage video, they unexpectedly find themselves on the path to social media fame – leading to some particularly hilarious scenes between the Aussies that we won’t spoil for you.
“There’s a moment in the show where my character gets injured and Ben’s character, Rowdy, has to tend to the injury and we both end up in a very physically compromised position,” England revealed. “It’s a moment of very high stakes intensity that devolves into the absurd and it was an absolute riot to film.”
However, that’s not to say that shooting C*A*U*G*H*T wasn’t without its challenges, according to the actor.
“We actually shot a teaser for the show back in December of 2019 when Kick was chasing funding for the show. One of the scenes we shot for the teaser was the four boys naked in a pit after they’d just been captured,” England explained.
“We were filming during the terrible bushfires that covered Sydney in smoke so it was hazy and hot, somewhere around 40 degrees, and we all got our kit off and crawled into this newly dug hole in a quarry… It was tough.”
“I think I used a whole tube of sunscreen by myself. But we laughed our way through that experience and nothing during the actual shoot was nearly as uncomfortable,” he added.
It’s clear to anyone watching that Gurry, Younes, O’Toole, and England bounce off each other’s energy and comedic timing flawlessly – something that England said could be attributed to the group’s close friendships outside their work in C*A*U*G*H*T.
“We are close friends outside of the show, we’ve all lived together for periods at Kick’s house in Los Angeles, so part of what the show captures is that natural banter that comes from being very comfortable with a group of friends,” England explained.
“In a setting where you can improvise or have been given permission to play with the script, it really helps to be able to follow an instinct rather than second guess yourself in that moment. It helps as well when there’s no fear of looking like an idiot… because looking like an idiot is the goal… As is the case with C*A*U*G*H*T!”
With a sharp focus on the cult of celebrity and society’s obsession with fame, C*A*U*G*H*T strikes a chord by exploring the lengths people go to in order to attain social media recognition. This unique blend of comedy and social commentary couldn’t be more timely, as society grapples with a heightened sense of cynicism towards social media and a critical gaze on influencers.
“A big part of the satire of the show is focused on interrogating this idea of fame being the ultimate human aspiration, which is an idea that’s hard to get away from in the age of social media,” England mused.
“The ripple effect is individuals doing all they can to get attention. So in the show, we’ve got characters who are actively in one of the most horrific situations imaginable (being held hostage) thinking about how they can turn it to their advantage to garner attention. Or we have movie stars playing monstrous versions of themselves, drunk on the power they’ve been afforded by a culture that values fame so highly.”
“Kick has used this material to great comedic effect, but ultimately the show is drawing attention to how unhealthy it is to have a community obsessed with self-promotion. There is a cost when more and more young people are using social media so heavily, and when people are willing to gain that attention by any means.”
Having already premiered, C*A*U*G*H*T. has taken the streaming world by storm, with audiences raving about its compelling storytelling, stellar performances, and biting social commentary. It is undoubtedly set to be one of the standout series of the year.
You can check out C*A*U*G*H*T on Stan now.